Hemant Mehta is the founder and editor of FriendlyAtheist.com, a YouTube creator, and podcast co-host. He is a former National Board Certified math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago. He has appeared on CNN and FOX News and served on the board of directors for Foundation Beyond Belief and the Secular Student Alliance. He has written multiple books, including I Sold My Soul on eBay and The Young Atheist's Survival Guide. He also edited the book Queer Disbelief.
Lynn Cassidy’s daughter was born last year with Down syndrome, problems with her eyes and ears, and two holes in her heart. Not knowing what else to do, Cassidy and her husband took a trip to Rome last Easter hoping to see Pope Francis and get his blessing. It worked. By standing in the right place in St. Peter’s Square, they managed to get an audience with the Pope: Read more
Whether you’re an atheist, agnostic, skeptic, or all of the above, there’s a good chance you’ll end up attending a religious ceremony at some point. You might be forced (or pressured) to go to church or temple by your family, or asked to go to some other religious event to support a friend, but attending these services doesn’t have to a bad experience. It all depends on your perspective. Read more
Back in December, I wrote about a Nativity Scene in Brookville, Indiana that had been up for over 50 years, despite warning letters (over the course of several years) from the Freedom From Religion Foundation to take it down. The display, which was owned by the Town of Brookville, sat on the grounds of the Franklin County Courthouse. Read more
In a terrific short film called Farid in the West, a good-looking Middle Eastern man and his wife Nija move to a westernized country. Before he heads out for a job interview, Farid reminds his wife not to go out in public without wearing her niqab. “I want people to see you for your mind, not as a piece of meat,” he tells her. That doesn’t work out so well for either of them. Read more
